Apparatus for plucking feathers



Juhe 17, 1947. ALBR|GHT I 2,422,608

APPARATIEE on PLUCK-ING Pumas File April 9, 1945 QShoets-Sheetfl I INVENTORQ .Immna Jinn/0117' Arum/my Patented June 17, 1947 Edward J. Albright, Chicago, 1111., assignor to E. J. Albright & 00., Chicago, 111., a copartner- Application April 9, 1945, Serial No. 587,262

. Claims.

1 v The inventionrelates to improvements in apparatus for plucking feathers from fowl and is more particularly concerned with improvements in the construction of the rotors embodied in such apparatus and operative to quickly and efficiently remove the feathers without imparting damage to the fowl.

The removal of feathers, mechanically, from fawi is advantageous particularly when performed in packing establishments handling large volumes of dressed poultry."v Machines'and apparatus now employed with varying degrees of success for removing the feathers from fowl include various types of mechanism specifically provided to perform the feather removing operation. Such mechanism usually consists'of one or more rotary elements including means to resiliently and firmly strike and bear against various' areas of a fowl so as to remove the feathers. Many such'mechanisms include, as the means for directly contacting the fowl, radially extending resiliently flexible striking elements or fingers which often become broken and for this or for various other reasons require replacement. 1

In known types of apparatus of the character referred to, it is very difllcult to effect removal and replacement as well as initial mounting of the striking elements with the result that broken or damaged striking elements are often permitted to remain'in the apparatus and consequently the efficiency of the apparatus is greatly impaired. Itis, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the character described with novel rotors embodying novel features of construction particularly adapt- 35 ing the rotors for easy and quick removal and insertion of the flexible plucking fingers.

Anotherobiect of the invention is to provide a rotor of the character described of such construe- 'panying drawing, which by way of illustration,

shows a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof and which is considered to be the best mode contemplated-for applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by'those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the ap- 10 pended claims.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a feather plucking apparatus embodying features of the present invention and showing fragments of the various coverings broken away.

. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail View taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional detail view of an end portion of one of the rotors.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional detail view of the rotor, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3 and omitting the fingers.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of rotor.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the so the accompanying drawings is of a kind adapted to have fowlcarried thereto and therethrough continuously by means of an overhead conveyer ll, best illustrated in Fig. 1, of a kind adapted to advance fowl directly to said apparatus from a scalding tank, not shown. The overhead conveyer Il may be provided with a plurality of pendants l2 suitably spaced apart longitudinally therealong, as shown, and each of which carries on its lower end a conventional frame or carrier tion as to minimize the amount of time and effort needed to mount the plucking fingers thereon firmly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotor which is easy to install, efllcient and posil3 providing means for quickly and easily suspending or removing fowl therefrom. As shown, the fowl, indicated at I 4 in Fig. 2, is suspended from the carriers l3 by having its feet 5 wedgingly clamped therein.

tion and claims and are illustrated in the accomtive in operation and use, and-not expensive to manufacture.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the kind described with spaced rotors having fingers or heaters arranged thereon in such manner as to impart a rotary motion to a fowl as it advances between said'rotors .during the feather plucking operation.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following descrip- The apparatus selected for illustration is of a type best suited to embody the features of the present invention, and it consists generally of a pair of frame members l5 spaced apart one on each side of the path taken by the fowl as it l'6. providing firm supports for bearings 11 which 5 constitute journals for the end portions of a shaft l8 when the latter is extended between said bearings.

It will be noted upon reference to Fig. 1 that frame ends l6 are of different heights to there? by dispose the bearings I! at different elevations, and as a result, the shaft I8 is inclined longitudinally as shown. Each shaft 18 carries a pulley 19 connected by belts 2| with a pulley-22 mounted upon the shaft 23 of a motor 24 so that each shaft 18 is rotated independently of the other in an opposite direction. The motors 24 may be suitably mounted upon the respective frames l and to this end a plate .25, suitably slotted at 26, may be provided on each frame to enable said motors to be adjusted vertically in said frames to vary the tension on the driving belts 2 I. l

Each of the shafts I8 is adapted to carry a rotor, generally indicated at 21, including a drum 28 and resiliently flexible fingers 29 extending radially therefrom throughout its length. When the drums are idle the fingers hang substantially limp, but when said rotors are rotated at a given rate of speed, upon operation of the motors 24, the fingers extend outwardly radially. due to centrifugal force and as a result their free ends projectinto the area between the rotors normally occupied by the fowl as it is advanced through the apparatus by the overhead. conveyer.

When the fowl is carried into position to be contacted by the fingers 29, said fingers will flex sufiiciently to conform substantially to the surface configuration of the fowl and they are effective to brush or rub against such surface and thereby effectively remove all of the feathers contained within the area contacted thereby.

This beating and rubbing action of the fingers 29 frequently results in their being broken or otherwise damaged sufficiently to require their replacement. To accomplish this in an efficient and practical manner, the rotors 21 are con-....

structed in such manner as to expedite such replacement or renewal of the fingers.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the cylindrical body or drum 28 of the rotor preferably is fashioned from tube stock having bearing portions 30 firmly secured at each end as by welding as at 3|, which bearing portions are formed to receive the shaft l3 therethrough. The rotor is firmly secured to the shaft l8for rotation in unison therewith preferably by providing a keyway 32 in said shaft for engagement by a lock screw 33 carried in the Hub of the bearing .30. A plurality of circumferentially spaced angle bars 34, each of a length corresponding to the length of the drum 28, are firmly secured longitudinally along said body and extend outwardly radially therefrom.

As best shown in Fig. 4, each of the angle bars 34 is comprised of a leg or wall 35 and a flange or wall '31. The bar 34 is firmly secured to the drum 28 by welding the free edge of the leg 35 in abutment with the drum surface as at 36 to provide in effect external radial webs. The

flange 31 of each angle bar is disposed substantially at right angles to the leg 35 and extends in a direction which is substantially tangent to a circle the radius of which is equal to the distance from the center of the shaft ill to the flange 31. The flange 3'! of each angle bar 34 is suitably provided with longitudinally spaced openings 38 each to receive one of the fingers 29 to thereby provide a firm, yet easily separable mounting for said fingers. Such a mounting is afforded in the present instance by providing portion. The flange 4| on the end of the fin-' -ger is, of course, sufliciently heavy to resist movement of the finger outwardly through its mount-v ing opening 38'. The finger .29 may be easily and quickly removed by forcing said finger and its flange 39 downwardly through the opening 38.

The rotors may be partially covered as by semicylindrical casing members 42 mounted one on "each frame 15, and similarly a casing 43 may enclose each set of the drive pulleys and drive .belts.

The rotor illustrated in Fig. 5 is substantially.

like the rotors embodied in the apparatus previously described, but in this instance the angle bars 34a are firmly attached, as by welding at 44, to the shaft Illa. This construction eliminates the need for a drum 28 and requires that the radially disposed wall or web portions 35a. of the angle bars 34a. be of sufficient length as to provide a rotor of the necessary diameter. As shown, the circumferentially disposed flanges 31a of each of the angle bars are disposed in a common direction and each is provided, as in the previously discussed apparatus, with a row of openings 38a, each to receive a finger 29. Rigidity is provided in the rotor by arranging tie straps 45 between adjacent angle bars 34a, which straps preferably are located at the ends of the rotor and are secured at their ends to the complemental portions of the related angle bars as by welding at 46.

It is apparent. that the rotor shown in. .li 5 is substantially like the rotor previously described in that it has a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart rows of fingers 29 which are adapted to strike against the fowl as the latter is passed between a pair of such rotors. may, in the instant construction, be easily and quickly inserted in place or removed because of the relatively open construction of the rotor.

It is preferred that the fingers be arranged on therotors of either construction in such manner that each rotor presents the appearance and embodies the'characteristics of a helix so as to cause said rotors, during operation of the machine, to impart a rotary motion to the fowl passing therebetween. Such rotation of the fowl is desirable since it progressively locates various areas of the fowl in position to be acted upon by the rapidly moving fingers 29. Such positioning of the fingers and the resultant rotation of the fowl is best illustrated in Fig. 6 where it will be noted the holes 38 (or 380.) in the angle bars are alternately staggered circumferentially so that the rows of fingers carried therein are longitudinally inclined circumferentially as in-- dicated by the broken lines 41.

It should be evident that the present invention, as disclosed herein, contemplates the provision of durable and inexpensively manufactured means for carrying a plurality of resiliently flexible fingers, so as to provide a, rotor that is easy toassemble and highly efficient in operation and The fingers 29 comprising, in combination, a cylindrical body,

external radial webs co-extensive with the length of said body, flanges on the free edges of said webs, said flanges extending in a direction substantially tangent to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the axis of said body to said flanges, and outwardly extending radial fingers carried by said flanges.

3. A rotor for a feather plucking apparatus comprising, a shaft, circumferentially spaced radial webs on and extending-a substantial portion of the length of said shaft but stopping short of its ends, flanges on thefree edges of-the said webs each extending in a direction which is tangential to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the center of the shaft to the flange, said flanges having spaced openings therein, and outwardly extending radial fingers mounted one in each opening.

4; A rotor for a feather plucking apparatus comprising, a shaft, circumferentially spaced radial webs on and extending a substantial portion of the length of said shaft but stopping short of its ends, flanges on the free edges of the said webs each extending in a direction which is tan-' gential 'to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the axis of the shaft to the flange,

straps extended between and secured to adjacent flanges, said 'fianges having spaced openings therein, and outwardly extending radialfingers mounted one in each opening.

5. A rotor for an apparatus of the kind described comprising, in combination, a shaft having bearing portions at its ends, a plurality of circumferentially spaced angle bars extending a substantial portion of the length of the shaft but stopping short of the bearing portions, each of, said angle bars being attached to said shaft along an edge of one angle wall as by welding and extending radially outwardly from-the body to dispose the other angle wall in a direction which is tangential to a'circlehaving a radius equal to the distance from the axis of the shaft to the last mentioned angle wall, the said last mentioned angle walls all extending in a common direction, and means anchoring adjacent angle bars one to the other.

6. A rotor for an apparatus of the kind described comprising, in combination, a shaft having'. bearing portions at its ends, a plurality of circumferentially spaced angle bars extending a substantial portion of the length of the shaft but stopping short of the bearing portions, each of said angle-bars being attached to said shaft along an edge of one angle wall so as to dispose its other angle wall in a'direction which is tangential to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the axis of the shaftto' the last scribed comprising in combination, a shaft having 1.6 bearing portions at its ends, a plurality of circumferentially spaced angle bars extending a substantial portion of the length of the shaft but stopping short of the bearing portions, each of said angle bars being attached to said shaft along an edge of one angle wall as by welding and extending radially outward from thebody to dispose the other angle wall in a'direction which is substantially tangential to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the axis of the shaft to the lastmentioned angle wall, said last mentioned angle walls all extending in a common direction and having outwardly extending radial fingers mounted thereon,'and means anchoring adjacent angle bars one to the other.

8. A rotor for an apparatus of the kind described comprising in combination, a shaft having bearing portions at its ends, a plurality of circumferentially spaced angle bars extending a substantial portion of the length of the shaft but stopping short of the bearing portions, each of said angle bars being attached to said shaft along an edge of one angle wall so as to dispose its other angle wall in a direction which is substantially tangential to a circle having a radius equal to the distance from the axis of the shaft to the last mentioned angle wall, thelast mentioned angle walls all extending in a common direction and having outwardly'extending radial fingers mounted thereon, and straps connecting adjacent angle bars one to the other at their ends.

9. A rotor for feather plucking apparatus comprising, in combination, a rotatable elongated body, spaced externalradial webs carried on the periphery of said body and extending a substantial portion of the length thereof, flanges on the free edges of said webs, said flanges having spaced openings therein, and outwardly extending radial fingers detachably mounted one in each opening.

10. A rotor for feather plucking apparatus comprising a rotatable elongated body, spaced radial webs mounted on the periphery of said body and flanges having spaced openings therein and outwardly extending radial fingers mounted one in each opening.

EDWARD J. ALBRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,342,013 Sandlin Feb. 15, 1944 1,790,758 Montanoet al Feb. 3, 1931 1,988,676 Andreas Jan. 22, 1935 2,389,404 Barker Nov. 20, 1945 2,358,043 Barker Sept. 12, 1944 2,286,650 Sandlin' June 16, 1942 1,076,461 Smith Oct. 21, 1913 Re. 22,323 McMahan et al. May 25,1943 1,889,228 Swanson Nov. 29, 1932 2,300,157 Hunt Oct. 2'7, 1942 2,328,770 Barker Sept. 7, 1943 2,337,201 Johnson Dec. 21, 1943 2,376,120 Campbell et ai. May 15, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Apr. 4, 1m 

